Part Two of this ficlet. Written for @scerekweek2016 and @scerekplus.
Derek’s first crush was at seven.
He broke his right arm trying to get Whiskers down from a tree, and he doesn’t remember the doctor, but he does remember the pretty nurse with her curly dark hair and her sparkling brown eyes.
“You must be very brave,” she’d said while wrapping the cast in the bright green she’d let him choose all by himself. Her hands looked soft and her eyes looked like they were dancing when she smiled at him. “Only a brave knight would go on a quest to save an innocent kitten.”
Whiskers was old and a little mean, not a kitten, but Derek puffed up his chest anyway, and for months afterwards he rode around on his trusty steed (a.k.a. his electric green bike) and fought dragons and trolls and evil wizards to save princess Melissa.
Almost two decades later, depressed and reckless and angry from a brutal break up, he’s hunched over on an exam table in the E.R. halfway between drunk and hungover waiting his hand to be stitched up. The taste of blood is bitter on his tongue, and he runs his tongue over his teeth to cheek to see if any are loose when the curtain pulls back with a sharp sound. When he looks up it’s to see the pretty face of his childhood crush.
Her eyes are cautious, but her voice is still warm, her touch gentle, and Derek bites his lip trying to hold back the emotion clogging up his chest. He hates that he immediately recognizes her even though he only saw her three times. Hates the shame he feels that she’s seeing him like this.
“You should keep the ice pack on your face,” she says as she finishes cleaning his hand. “It’ll make the next couple of days a little easier.”
He doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t move to take the ice pack, but Melissa doesn’t say anything else about it. Just talks him through what she’s doing, how to change his dressing, how to tell if there’s an infection.
“It’s going to be hard if you’re right handed,” she says, looking up at him after she finishes taping him up. “Do you have anyone who can help look after you?”
“I’m ambidextrous,” he says without thinking. “I taught myself after I-” he breaks off before he can finish, blinking as he looks up at her.
She can’t actually remember him, even though her smile says she does. She must’ve treated thousands of kids in the intervening years, and there’s no way she would-
“Even brave knights ask for help sometimes,” she says gently.
Humiliatingly, Derek feels his eyes sting, his chest clenching tight as she lays a hand on his shoulder.
“I’ll get the paperwork for you.”
She closes the curtain behind her, but the thin shield doesn’t stop him from hearing when a male voice says, “Hey mom, are you okay? I heard they brought in the guys from the bar fight.”
“And how could you have possibly heard that, oh son of mine?” Melissa asks, her voice teasing.
“Don’t even start. It’s not like I’m not at the bar every night, but Stiles had two servers call in sick, and-”
“Then Stiles needs to hire more people then instead of counting on his best friend - who already has a full time job - to cover for him.”
Her words are pointed, but it sounds like a conversation that they’ve had before, and one she already knows she’s not going to win. Especially when her son says, “Okay, but he gave me Boyd’s special turkey burger and parmesan fries to give to you, so…”
Melissa heaves a sigh, and if Derek leans forward just slightly he can see a smile curving the corner of her mouth through the gap in the thin curtain. The guy in front of her is taller than her, and broad shouldered, but he has the same dark hair and dusky skin. He’s holding a bag in front of him, and Melissa eventually gives in and snatches it, tucking it behind the nurses station before she comes back with a stack of papers.
“This isn’t forgiveness,” she says. “Not until he stops dragging you into that bar night after night.”
“I’m just helping him tomorrow to clean up a little. Those guys really did a number on the place. The Sheriff thinks it’s probably a good couple thousand in damage and-”
His voice snaps off, his eyes narrowing as he sees Derek.
He can only imagine what he looks like: filthy clothes, beat up face, bruised knuckles. Derek can’t fault the guy for squaring his shoulders. Firming his jaw. Edging closer to his mother.
And it’s not just how Derek looks, because if this guy was at the bar then he knows what happened. Probably knows all the humiliating details if he talked to the Sheriff.
“This is my son, Scott,” Melissa says, “and he was just leaving.”
Scott tries to protest, but Melissa just kisses him on the head and shoos him away. Scott gives Derek one final glare, but Derek just drops his head, flexing his hand slowly. The local anesthesia is wearing off and he can feel the sting from the gash on his hand.
“They’re both good boys. A little wild sometimes, but still good.” She helps him into his jacket, then hands over the printed care instructions, giving his good hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ve got an eye for that sort of thing,” she says, her smile soft and warm. “I’ll see you back here in two weeks to get those stitches out.”
***
He brings her a gift: A subtle rainbow of succulents crowded together in a shallow bowl. It’s probably dumb, but seeing her had helped. Helped him remember that he didn’t always used to be angry. That there were still good people in the world. That he wasn’t actually alone, no matter how hard he’d tried to isolate himself.
“It’s easy to take care of,” Derek says, holding the bowl out awkwardly in his left hand. “A little water and plenty of sun.”
“Thank you, Derek.” Melissa’s smile is warm and lovely, and Derek can’t help but duck his head when she says, “That was very thoughtful.”
Two days later he walks out of the back of the shop and Scott glances over at him from where he’s talking with Cora and says, “You,” like it’s an accusation.
He wants to slip right back into the greenhouse, but he’s sort of dumbstruck by how attractive Scott looks when Derek’s not looking through the haze of anger, alcohol and a black eye.
“Derek?” Cora says, then her expression lights up like she just won a prize and says, “Oh my god, you said your mom’s name was Melissa,” before she bursts into giggles.
Derek wants to sink to the floor and die as Scott’s brow furrows (adorable, goddamnit) in confusion.
“What-” Scott starts, and Derek says, “Nothing, it’s fine, ignore her. Why are you here?”
He knows he’s being rude, but Cora is bent over and snorting, and Derek just really needs Scott to leave as soon as possible. He knows he can’t leave because then Cora will just tell him everything.
Scott holds up the card that Derek had automatically (stupidly) included with the care instructions for the succulents, and says, “Wait, why did you give my mom plants?”
Cora makes a squeaking noise and falls off her chair, and Derek unthinkingly grabs Scott’s arm and drags him to the other end of the store. Scott tenses, and Derek curses himself before he snatches his hand back.
“It was a thank you, okay? She helped me so I gave her some plants, that’s all.” He drags a hand through his hair in frustration and closes his eyes. “Look, I paid your friend back for the damages, I paid the fine, and I’m doing the community service. I’m not-I wasn’t-”
He can’t get any more words out, even though the for the first time he actually wants to explain.
“Okay,” Scott says after a moment.
Derek opens his eyes again to see that Scott’s shoulders have relaxed and he has a ghost of a smile around his mouth. “Mom liked them. The plants. And it’s her birthday next week so I figured.” He shrugs and motions around to the blooming flowers.
Derek can feel his own tension start to melt away. “Yeah, okay. I can help you with that.”
It takes almost an hour for them to talk through the options, but it doesn’t feel tedious or weird, and Scott just gets more easy going as they talk, going off on tangents and rambling about his mom. It’s sweet and fun, and in the end Scott puts a hand on his shoulder and says, “Thanks, Derek,” his dark eyes warm and smiling.
It makes Derek’s heart flutter, like something taking root, and two weeks ago he would have gladly crushed the feeling. But today, watching Scott walk back out into the sunshine, Derek lets the warmth settle inside him. And feels brave.